The Sprint HTC EVO 4G Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on June 28, 2010 6:04 PM ESTThe Keyboard
In my Incredible review I praised HTC for improving upon the prediction algorithm used by Google in the default Android keyboard. Overall, I felt it was a better keyboard. Brian Klug, our resident smartphone editor, politely disagreed with me in a recent article (he even asked if it was ok to disagree with me. It is). Brandon Hill, former AnandTech News Editor and current DailyTech Editor in Chief, also complained about the HTC Sense keyboard. Their complaints weren’t about the text prediction, but rather the overwhelming nature of the keyboard.
The default HTC keyboard is just very busy. The EVO 4G is actually worse here because it also integrates arrow keys into the keyboard. It gets even worse once you start typing because the autocorrect dictionary pops up and further crowds the screen.
While the overwhelming keyboard layout can be, well, overwhelming, I find that it’s something I can easily get used to once I figure out where all of the keys are. If you just can’t deal with the EVO 4G’s keyboard you can always switch to a different keyboard. Android supports the use of whatever third party virtual keyboard software you want, there’s even a good summary of the top available options today at .com.
The larger screen makes the keys on the virtual keyboard bigger. As a result typing on the EVO 4G is faster for me than any other Android phone.
The trick to the HTC Sense keyboard, particularly on the EVO, is to make sure you stay focused on your thumbs and the keys themselves while you type. If you focus on the live dictionary that appears over what you’re typing or let your focus wander elsewhere it quickly becomes an overwhelming experience. There’s simply too much going on at once. This works fine for me since that’s what I end up doing anyway and I do appreciate the live dictionary that I can choose from and automatically add to while I type. However I can empathize with those who don’t like the crowded keyboard. Functionally it works, but if HTC wants to improve the experience I would recommend focusing reducing the noise. A keyboard should be a simple thing.
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flurrball - Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - link
Thanks for the review Anand!You've convinced me to at least wait and see what the Droid X will offer to compete with the other smartphones. I'm really looking to get off the Apple/AT&T rapetrain, but not eager to sign a two-year contract and be unhappy again.
Can't wait for your Droid X review!!
Sf ted - Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - link
Anand, great review as always. You're a master of the details. I do have a suggestion that could change your mind about loving this device. The recent update increased my battery life an order of magnitude, elimanated the unsensitive Pp touchscreen and now reacts to my slightest of touches. You might have a much better experience after the update. Cheers! TedShadowmaster625 - Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - link
Does anyone make an oversized battery that adds an extra 10-20 Wh?Shadowmaster625 - Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - link
You mean this thing can not play an Xvid encoded avi file out of the box? 512x288 and 576x320 are my most common resolutions.Screammit - Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - link
the default android video player will not take Xvid, but there are a number of apps hitting the market that likely do/will. RockPlayerBase is one that comes to mindtotenkopf - Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - link
In the dimensional comparison table please take all inch measurements to the hundredths place (evo is 4.80", iphone is 4.54", etc.) and keep the trailing zeros in this case. It's just the right thing to do... and because when my instructor said 10 years ago in highschool that someday I would use this knowledge, I'm pretty sure that today is the very day she was referring to... how fortuitous.echtogammut - Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - link
I have been using the phone for about a week now and have found the battery life to be less than my old iPhone, but not a real issue. So far with fairly heavy usage, web (no 4g), regular GPS lookup and moderate phone usage (I run my own business), it takes nearly 2 days for it to completely discharge. One thing to note, I charged my phone for 8 hours after getting it, totally discharged it and repeated this processes twice. I always charged my iPhone at night and I plan on doing the same with this phone, so like I said battery isn't an issue for me.Trebus - Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - link
Nice review, as usual.But please learn how multitasking works on Android, this seems to be problem of many reviewers on the internet :-)
If you long press the Home button, it is not task manager, there are simply 6 last used apps. Some of this apps may not be running at the moment.
For start I can recommend this article about Android multitasking:
http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2010/04/mul...
austonia - Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - link
I believe Premium Data gives you true unlimited data on 3G and 4G, although unlimited 3G is an unadvertised feature. I'm guessing they don't want a flood of extreme bandwidth hogs.http://community.sprint.com/baw/thread/33866?tstar...
I'm past 5GB this month on 3G and it doesn't show any additional charges at sprint.com where i can see a near-real time summary of my bill. I download 6GB over 3G in one night (200-300 KB/s) so it would be easy to crack 100GB/mo if motivated.
Tempted to see just how far I can push it. ;)
Adul - Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - link
I long since had my EVO 4g Root and running one of the many custom roms for it (DC3.2.0). I notice considerly improved battery life and put it to the test with a mix of browsing, installing apps, loading a new rom, and phone calls. Had it off that charger from work at around 4:30, drive to a friends house with wardrive running in the background. Got there and showed a few things on the phone that they did not have on his EVO. Left around 10 PM and made it home near 11. I have about 10% battery life left.Plus there was an update pushed and pulled out yesterday that address some battery life issues which is partially to blame on HTC background tasks.